Simmons silenced: ‘Shut your mouth’

FOR the first time, Ben Simmons took his anger at his frequent All-Star snubs outside the social media sphere and it hasn't gone down well with everybody.

After missing out on initial selection the 21-year-old won't become the first Australian to ever appear in the NBA's showpiece event after being overlooked as an injury replacement while Andre Drummond, Goran Dragic and Kemba Walker were preferred on separate occasions.

The 76ers star opened up on his confusion about being left out of the February 18 match that will feature the best players in the league.

"I don't really know what an All-Star is anymore," Simmons said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I mean if it was about win-lose, you pick (Goran) Dragic obviously, and you pick Kemba, whose team (Charlotte Hornets) is seven wins under us.

"It is what it is, but my stats don't lie."

Ben Simmons, right, heads to the basket. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

That salty reply comes after he took to Twitter following non-selections as an injury replacement for Washington's John Wall and Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis.

Simmons is averaging 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for the Sixers and ranks third in the league for triple-doubles. He's basically a shoo-in to be named Rookie of the Year but that's not enough to worm his way into the All-Star picture.

NBA icon Grant Hill, who was named an All-Star seven times in a career that lasted nearly two decades, said Simmons should be focused on making those stats even more difficult to ignore rather than talking about his continual snubs.

"You're a great player with a great future, but you're a rookie," Hill said on NBA TV, according to SEN.

"Just keep your mouth shut and play great basketball."

Fans have floated the theory Simmons is being ignored because it's his first season in the NBA. Had he been selected, he would have joined Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson in becoming All-Stars in a rookie season.

Last week Simmons' 76ers teammate Joel Embiid - who will play in the All-Stars game - urged the NBA to reward the Aussie's consistency after Porzingis tore his ACL.

Simmons can’t take a trick.

"I hope they don't do the same bulls***, the same mistake they've been doing before with the last two guys who got injured," Embiid said after Simmons dropped an impressive 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block in the 76ers' win over the Washington Wizards last Tuesday.

"I think he deserves it, he has been playing well the whole season, and he has been a beast lately."

Embiid's words fell on deaf ears as Hornets star Walker got the nod.

While the original All Stars were selected by a combination of votes from fans (50 per cent), NBA players (25 per cent) and media members (25 per cent), injury replacements have been chosen based on votes from NBA head coaches.

Kyrie Irving was the runaway fan vote leader among Eastern conference guards with 2,170,833, DeMar DeRozan had 998,999 and Simmons came in third with 669,397.